Dustin Johnson produced a run of three birdies and an eagle in five holes to secure the 8.5 million-dollar WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
Johnson finished on a tournament record 24-under par of 264, three ahead of England's Ian Poulter and four ahead of Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell after a pulsating final day's play captivated huge galleries at Sheshan Golf Club.
''It's the biggest win I've had in my career so far,'' he said. ''Those guys put a lot of pressure on me. I'm really proud of the way I handled myself.''
The leading trio all shot final rounds of six-under par 66, going head-to-head in a display of golf of the highest quality.
Poulter and McDowell, who each had a share of the lead at some point, looked capable of winning until Johnson's late heroics. Right behind them were Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer, all firing away with birdies on a soft course but unable to catch up.
McDowell went 64-64 on the weekend without making a bogey and still lost by four. It was the start of that amazing stretch by Johnson that he recalled most clearly.
Poulter fell out of the lead with a bogey from the bunker on the 15th, and he never caught up. He at least stayed within two shots with a birdie on the 16th, but it was demoralizing to see Johnson follow his eagle with a 5-iron into 8 feet for birdie on the 17th that wrapped it up.
''A little disappointed not to put my hands back on the trophy,'' said Poulter, who won the HSBC Champions last year at the old venue of Mission Hills.
Americans have now won all four WGC events in 2013 as Matt Kuchar won the Accenture Matchplay and Tiger Woods took both the Cadillac Championship and Bridgestone Invitational, the report added.
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